Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 06/22/2007
This is the weekly bulletin of the TURI Library, reporting a selection of recently published titles we have acquired. Our pledge is to keep the bulletin relevant to your work and brief -- no more than 10 titles. You are welcome to send a message to jan@turi.org if you would like more information on any of the articles listed here.
Titles here, abstracts below:
- Consolidating servers to reduce power consumption
- eChemPortal, the global portal to information on chemical substances has been launched
- Doing away with coolant disposal
- Thomas Tank Engine toy recall angers parents
- Biofuels: DOE Lacks a Strategic Approach to Coordinate Increasing Production with Infrastructure Development and Vehicle Needs
- Carbon nanotubes from camphor: an environment-friendly nanotechnology
- Report calls for new directions, innovative approaches in testing chemicals for toxicity to humans
- Surface preparation methods make it easier to be green
- The relationship between early childhood blood lead levels and performance on end of grade tests
- Overview of the June 2007 draft list of chemicals for the initial Tier 1 screening
1. Consolidating servers to reduce power consumption
Author: Binstock, Andrew
Source: GreenerComputing, June 21, 2007
Abstract: One of the most effective ways to lower energy consumption is to consolidate servers, especially little-used servers. Every major IT site has several -- often many -- small servers that each support a single legacy application that cannot be removed but which few processes use. These servers are prime candidates for consolidation onto a single hardware platform.
By moving these applications onto a single platform, IT sites save almost the entire energy consumption of the original server, the cooling costs of that server, and also gain greater manageability by having applications running on fewer physical machines. Depending on configuration, projections of savings from consolidating vary from several hundred to several thousand dollars per consolidated application per year.
Link: http://www.greenercomputing.com/reviews_third.cfm?NewsID=35305
2. eChemPortal, the global portal to information on chemical substances has been launched
Source: IUCLID International Chemical Information System, June 14, 2007
Abstract: eChemPortal, the Global Portal to Information on Chemical Substances is now available for public access. To search multiple international databases simultaneously, visit the website http://www.oecd.org/ehs/echemportal.
eChemPortal offers free public access to information on properties and effects of chemical substances. It is an integrated system that allows users to simultaneously search multiple databases prepared for government chemical review programmes around the world.
The current version of eChemPortal offers the possibility to retrieve information by searching on chemical names or CAS Registry numbers. The second phase will incorporate additional search options to retrieve and compile specific hazard or other effects data (for example, toxicity endpoints) from the participating databases.
At this time, the following data bases participate in eChemPortal TM:
* European chemical Substances Information System (ESIS, European Commission)
* CHRIP (Japan's Information on Biodegradation and Bioconcentration of the Existing Chemical Substances in the Chemical Risk information platform)
* OECD HPV Database (OECD)
* Screening Information Datasets for High Volume Production Chemicals (UNEP Chemicals)
* HPVIS (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
* INCHEM (IPCS)
Link: http://ecbwbiu5.jrc.it/
index.php?fuseaction=home.news&type=public&id=65
3. Doing away with coolant disposal
Author: Salzman, Sonja
Source: MMS Online
Abstract: The largest machine shop at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos, New Mexico) employs about 70 people and has about 50 large machine tools. This shop—the Engineering Science & Applications Division Weapon Materials and Manufacturing (ESA-WMM) machine shop—supplies parts needed for scientific research projects. It also makes components of special devices including satellites, robots and biotechnology-related instruments. Some of the jobs are unusual, in other words, but the range of materials is not. The shop machines aluminum, various steels, copper, plastics and composites.
And just like any shop that processes these materials, this shop faced the problem of how to dispose of coolant contaminated with oil. This coolant had to be packaged, labeled and sent to a proper hazardous waste disposal site. In the past, the shop generated more than 3,000 gallons of contaminated coolant per year.
Now spent coolant waste has been eliminated. Fred Algarra, manager of the maintenance support unit for the ESA-WMM shop, worked to realize this success through a series of gradual improvements aimed at not only reducing waste but also improving employee safety. The Los Alamos National Laboratory recognized this success with a Pollution Prevention award. The coolant-related cost savings for this shop now approach $100,000 per year.
Link: http://www.mmsonline.com/articles/090304.html
4. Thomas Tank Engine toy recall angers parents
Author: Schaper, David
Source: NPR Morning Edition, June 22, 2007
Abstract: A suburban Chicago-based toy company is reeling from the recall of one of its most popular products — Thomas the Tank Engine. The company, RC2, voluntarily began recalling some of the popular wooden railway toys because the Chinese factory that makes them used lead paints on the toys.
Parents are outraged, not just about the possibility of lead poisoning, but many are frustrated with the way the company has been handling the problem. The Oak Brook, Ill.-based toy company RC2 last week issued a voluntary recall of some 1.5 million "Thomas and Friends" wooden toys because the factory in China that the company contracts with to manufacture the toys used lead in some of the red and yellow paints coating the toys between January 2005 and April 2007.
"So far in 2007, 60 percent of the recalls we have conducted are of products made in China," says CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson. "So far in 2007, we have done 24 recalls of toys; all of those products have been made in China." Toy company RC2 issued a press release explaining the recall last week and since then, has refused all interview requests and this week, only issued a brief statement that says the company's own thorough investigation identified the lead paint, and that it "has implemented a corrective action plan."
No one from RC2 was available to answer why it took nearly two and a half years to discover the lead paint, and what the corrective action plan entails.
Link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11271805
5. Biofuels: DOE Lacks a Strategic Approach to Coordinate Increasing Production with Infrastructure Development and Vehicle Needs
Source: Government Accountability Office (GAO), June 2007
Abstract: The U.S. transportation sector is almost entirely dependent on oil, a condition that poses significant economic and environmental risks. Biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, have the potential to displace oil use in transportation fuel. GAO was asked to describe the status of and impediments to expanding biofuel production, distribution infrastructure, and compatible vehicles as well as federal policy options to overcome the impediments. GAO was also asked to assess the extent to which the Department of Energy (DOE) has developed a strategic approach to coordinate the expansion of biofuel production, infrastructure, and vehicles and has evaluated the effectiveness of biofuel tax credits. GAO interviewed representatives and reviewed studies and data from DOE, states, industry, and other sources.
Combined ethanol and biodiesel production increased rapidly from about 3.4 billion gallons in 2004 to about 4.9 billion gallons in 2006, but these biofuels--primarily ethanol--composed only about 3 percent of 2006 U.S. gasoline and diesel transportation fuel use. Due to limitations on the production and use of corn--the primary feedstock used to produce ethanol in the United States--15 billion to 16 billion gallons is the generally agreed maximum amount of U.S. corn ethanol production. Using cellulosic feedstocks, such as corn stalks or other plant material, could expand the amount of ethanol produced, but the production costs are currently twice those of corn ethanol. Policies that support cellulosic ethanol research have the potential to increase the future availability of cost-competitive ethanol. Existing biofuel distribution infrastructure has limited capacity to transport the fuels and deliver them to consumers. Biofuels are transported largely by rail, and the ability of that industry to meet growing demand is uncertain. In addition, in early 2007, about 1 percent of fueling stations in the United States offered E85--a blend of about 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline--or high blends of biodiesel, such as B20 or higher. Increasing the availability of E85 at fueling stations is impeded largely by the limited availability of ethanol for use in high blends. Several policy options, such as mandating their installation, could increase the number of biofuel dispensers in stations. However, until more biofuel is available at a lower cost, it is unlikely that more fueling stations would lead to significantly greater biofuels use. In 2006, an estimated 4.5 million flexible fuel vehicles (FFV) capable of operating on ethanol blends up to E85 were in use--an estimated 1.8 percent of the nearly 244 million U.S. vehicles. The number of FFVs may increase substantially because of a recent commitment by DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and General Motors to increase FFV production to compose about 50 percent of their annual production by 2012. Several policy options, such as a tax credit for FFV production, could increase the number of FFVs, but would likely have little impact on biofuel use until E85 is less expensive and more widely available. It is also a concern that because many FFVs are less fuel efficient than other vehicles and rarely use E85, they actually increase petroleum use. DOE has not yet developed a comprehensive approach to coordinate its strategy for expanding biofuels production with the development of biofuel infrastructure and production of vehicles. Such an approach could assist in determining which blend of ethanol--E10, E85, or something in between-- would most effectively and efficiently increase the use of the fuel and what infrastructure development or vehicle production is needed to support that blend level. In addition, DOE has not evaluated the performance of biofuel-related tax credits, the largest of which cost the Treasury $2.7billion in 2006. As a result, it is not known if these expenditures produced the desired outcomes or if similar benefits might have been achieved at a lower cost.
Link: http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/
summary.php?rptno=GAO-07-713&accno=A70506
6. Carbon nanotubes from camphor: an environment-friendly nanotechnology
Authors: Kumar, Mukul; Ando, Yoshinori
Source: Journal of Physics Conference Series 61, 2007, pp643-646
Abstract: High-purity carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are produced by chemical vapour deposition of camphor, an environment-friendly hydrocarbon. In a small CVD reactor (1-m long and 26- mm wide), CVD of 3 g camphor at 650°C for 1 hour yields ~1.62 g MWNTs of diameter ~10 nm with an as-grown purity over 88%; that is, camphor-to-CNT production efficiency is 50%. This is the highest efficiency ever achieved from any material by any method. Moreover, camphor-based CNT synthesis technique stands fairly good against the 12-principle protocol of green chemistry.
7. Report calls for new directions, innovative approaches in testing chemicals for toxicity to humans
Source: National Academies News, June 12, 2007
Abstract: Recent advances in systems biology, testing in cells and tissues, and related scientific fields offer the potential to fundamentally change the way chemicals are tested for risks they may pose to humans, says a new report from the National Research Council. The report outlines a new approach that would rely less heavily on animal studies and instead focus on in vitro methods that evaluate chemicals' effects on biological processes using cells, cell lines, or cellular components, preferably of human origin. The new approach would generate more-relevant data to evaluate risks people face, expand the number of chemicals that could be scrutinized, and reduce the time, money, and animals involved in testing, said the committee that wrote the report.
Today, researchers typically test the safety of commercial chemicals, pesticides, and other substances by administering large doses to groups of animals and observing them for symptoms of disease; these tests inform decisions about whether and how to regulate the chemicals' use. But how relevant the animal tests are for humans, usually exposed at much lower doses, has often been called into question. Moreover, the current approach is time-consuming and costly, resulting in an overburdened system that leaves many chemicals untested, despite potential human exposure to them, the report observes. Recognizing these limitations, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency -- which oversees the testing of many agricultural, commercial, and industrial chemicals -- asked the Research Council to develop a new approach and strategy for toxicity testing.
The report recommends an approach that would take advantage of rapidly evolving scientific understanding of how genes, proteins, and small molecules interact to maintain normal cell function and how some of these interactions can be perturbed in ways that could lead to health problems. Specifically, the new testing approach would focus on toxicity pathways -- cellular pathways that, when sufficiently perturbed, are expected to lead to adverse health effects.
The committee recommends the use of "high-throughput assays" -- rapid, automated experiments that can test hundreds or thousands of chemicals over a wide range of concentrations -- to evaluate chemicals' effects on these toxicity pathways. On the basis of data from these and other experiments, researchers could develop models to describe responses in toxicity pathways, and other models to estimate the human exposure necessary to produce responses in these pathways.
Over time, the need for traditional animal testing could be greatly reduced, and possibly even eliminated someday, says the report. For the foreseeable future, however, targeted tests in animals would need to be used to complement the in vitro tests, because current methods cannot yet adequately mirror the metabolism of a whole animal.
Link: http://www8.nationalacademies.org/
onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=11970
8. Surface preparation methods make it easier to be green
Author: Huffman, Lori R.
Source: JPCL Journal of Protective Coatings and Linings, June 2007, pp38-44
Abstract: Global interest in minimizing the impact of our activities on the environment is hard to ignore. Over the years, the surface preparation industry has responded to calls for hazardous waste reduction as well as for the minimization of risks to worker health by devising coatings removal methods that keep hazardous materials from entering the environment, that use nontoxic media to prepare substrates, and that use “clean” technologies that rely on lasers and heat to remove coatings and minimize waste. This article reviews various methods of surface preparation that aim to make coatings removal greener. Some of these methods have been used for years in the industrial coatings market, while others have begun to cross over from the residential and historic restoration markets. Still others are new technologies that offer promise for cleaner, greener coatings removal.
9. The relationship between early childhood blood lead levels and performance on end of grade tests
Authors: Miranda, Marie Lynn; Kim, Dohyeong; Galeano, M. Alicia Overstreet; Paul, Christopher J.; Hull, Andrew P.; Morgan, S. Philip
Source: Environmental Health Perspectives, EHP-in-Press, Online April 27, 2007
Abstract: Background: Childhood lead poisoning remains a critical environmental health concern.
Low-level lead exposure has been linked to decreased performance on standardized IQ tests for school-aged children.
Objective: This study seeks to determine whether blood lead levels in early childhood are related to educational achievement in early elementary school as measured by performance on end-of-grade testing.
Methods: Educational testing data for fourth grade students from the 2000-2004 NC Education Research Data Center were linked to blood lead surveillance data for seven counties in NC and then analyzed using exploratory and multivariate statistical methods.
Results: The discernible impact of blood lead levels on end-of-grade testing is demonstrated for early childhood blood lead levels as low as 2 ìg/dL. A blood lead level of five is associated with a decline in EOG reading (math) scores that is roughly equal to 15% (14%) of the interquartile range, and this impact is very significant in comparison with the effects of covariates typically considered profoundly influential on educational outcomes. Early childhood lead exposures appear to have more impact on performance on the reading rather than the math portions of the tests.
Conclusions: Our emphasis on population level analyses of children who are roughly the same age linked to previous (rather than contemporaneous) blood lead levels using achievement (rather than aptitude) outcome complements the important work in this area by previous researchers. Our results suggest that the relationship between blood lead levels and cognitive outcomes are robust across outcome measures and at low levels of lead exposure.
Link: http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2007/9994/abstract.html
10. Overview of the June 2007 draft list of chemicals for the initial Tier 1 screening
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, June 2007
Abstract: EPA is seeking public comment on a draft list of 73 pesticide chemicals that was published in a June 2007 Federal Register Notice. The chemicals selected are the first to be considered for screening under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. This list should not be construed as a list of known or likely endocrine disruptors. Nothing in the approach for generating the initial list provides a basis to infer that any of the chemicals selected interfere with or are suspected to interfere with the endocrine systems of humans or other species. Comments are due to EPA 90 days after publication in the Federal Register.
Link: http://www.epa.gov/endo/pubs/prioritysetting/listfacts.htm
You are welcome to send a message to jan@turi.org if you would like more information on any of these resources. Also, please tell us what topics you are particularly interested in monitoring, and who else should see GREENLIST. An online search of the TURI Library catalog can be done at http://slk060.liberty3.net/turi/ for greater topic coverage.
This page updated Friday June 22 2007